CQUniversity seamlessly bridges academic and vocational education
Even before students set foot in its classrooms, Central Queensland University (CQUniversity) Australia already envisions their successful future outside campus walls. Seeing itself as a university of opportunity, CQUniversity is committed to providing its students a rich educational experience that will empower them to excel in a real-world setting.
Even before students set foot in its classrooms, Central Queensland University (CQUniversity) Australia already envisions their successful future outside campus walls. Seeing itself as a university of opportunity, CQUniversity is committed to providing its students a rich educational experience that will empower them to excel in a real-world setting.
From a single campus in Rockhampton in 1967, CQUniversity became one of the universities in Australia with the largest footprint, with campuses in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, and a new one that was recently opened in Cairns.
CQUniversity is recognised as a pioneer in the Australian academic landscape. It was among the first learning institutions to offer distance education in 1974. CQUniversity also became the first dual-sector university in Queensland to offer higher academic-based education and technical and further education (TAFE) with the acquisition of Central Queensland Institute of TAFE. CQUniversity's dual-sector nature affords students greater flexibility in transitioning from vocational studies to a university degree.
"One of the key drivers for us in taking on the TAFE component was because we wanted to work very closely with the industry," says Alastair Dawson, vice-president and deputy vice-chancellor. "We are increasingly moving into social innovation. We want to work with people who really want to make a difference, who want to provide opportunities rather than a pure commercial fix for their business."
CQUniversity prides itself on its agility in tailoring relevant courses in response to market demands in Australia and beyond. This is one of the reasons why CQUniversity attracts a diverse population of international students. CQUniversity developed an integrated support network to help students get acclimatised faster and enjoy a well-rounded Australian experience.
For CQUniversity, experience is a crucial component in education, as it provides context to theoretical learning. In line with this, the university added a full-semester internship to its postgraduate programmes and selected undergraduate programmes.
